PacBio Collaborates with iLAC and Robotic Biology Institute to Develop Automated Workflows

MENLO PARK, Calif., TOKYO, May 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB), a leading developer of high-quality, highly accurate sequencing solutions, today announced a collaboration with genome analysis company iLAC, Inc. (iLAC) and Robotic Biology Institute, Inc. (RBI) to develop fully automated end-to-end workflows for PacBio’s Sequel II and Sequel IIe HiFi long-read sequencing systems by employing advanced robotics.

Using technical information and feedback from PacBio, iLAC and RBI will work together to develop and validate automated high-throughput solutions on RBI’s LabDroid robotic system for deployment at iLAC’s genomic services facility in Tsukuba, Japan. These automated workflows will support whole-genome sequencing, targeted sequencing and Iso-Seq, PacBio’s industry-leading isoform-resolution transcriptome application, on PacBio’s Sequel II and Sequel IIe platforms.

“As our footprint around the world grows, collaborations like this help us support the diverse needs of our customers,” said Peter Fromen, Chief Commercial Officer at PacBio. “iLAC’s track record of success in offering highly innovative, advanced, and cost-effective fully automated sequencing workflows make them an ideal partner for PacBio. We believe this collaboration, and the automated sequencing workflows that may result from it, could support broader adoption of long-read sequencing in the market.”

“By working with PacBio to automate its applications and workflows on RBI’s LabDroid, we believe we can optimize data consistency especially for larger projects, while reducing cost. We believe this collaboration will enable us to bring the advantages of highly accurate long-read sequencing to more scientists,” said Taka-Aki Sato, President and Chief Executive Officer of iLAC.

LabDroid is the first humanoid robot especially designed for biological research and development use. Its highly skilled and precise movements can be used 24 hours a day to support high throughput projects, while freeing researchers to focus on other tasks.

RBI President, Kenji Matsukuma added: “Our humanoid robotic system emulates the skilled movements and maneuvers of humans, enabling automation of difficult jobs and going far beyond what standard liquid handlers can do. It is adaptable to a broad range of complex protocols, including preparation of sequencing libraries without human interaction. The true value of LabDroid is in its ability to reproduce workflows, increasing the likelihood that the highly accurate HiFi sequencing data will be uncompromised by variation that can result from manual processing.”

Financial terms of the collaboration are not disclosed.

About PacBio
PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB) is a premier life science technology company that is designing, developing and manufacturing advanced sequencing solutions to help scientists and clinical researchers resolve genetically complex problems. Our products and technology under development stem from two highly differentiated core technologies focused on accuracy, quality and completeness which include our existing HiFi long read sequencing and our emerging SBB® short read sequencing technologies. Our products address solutions across a broad set of research applications including human germline sequencing, plant and animal sciences, infectious disease and microbiology, oncology, and other emerging applications. For more information please visit www.pacb.com and follow @PacBio.

PacBio products are provided for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to future availability, uses, accuracy, advantages, quality or performance of, or benefits or expected benefits of using, PacBio products or technologies, including in connection with PacBio’s collaboration with iLAC and RBI; the expected benefits of the collaboration-related development of automated and robotic-based workflows and automated high-throughput solutions for use with the Sequel II and Sequel IIe products and applications; the possibility that the collaboration and potential new automated workflows could improve sample preparation time, maximize data consistency, reduce cost, support broader adoption of Sequel II and Sequel IIe products, and bring the advantages of HiFi sequencing to more scientists. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the following cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company’s Forms 8-K, 10-K, and 10-Q. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Contacts

For PacBio
Investors:
Todd Friedman
ir@pacificbiosciences.com

Media:
Lizelda Lopez
pr@pacificbiosciences.com

For iLAC
Kazuo Miyoshi
contactinfo@i-lac.co.jp

For RBI
Sakae Yamaguchi
contact@rbi.co.jp